“As governor, I will support marriage
equality and work to move Ohio forward for all its residents,”
Fitzgerald, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Who you love and
commit yourself to should not be prohibited by governments.”

Roughly a year ago, Republican Governor
John Kasich reiterated his opposition to marriage and civil unions
for gay couples after he appeared to endorse civil unions.

“The governor's position is
unchanged,” Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols wrote in an email. “He
opposes gay marriage and opposes changing Ohio's Constitution to
allow for civil unions. He's opposed to discrimination against any
Ohioan and, while he may have used the term 'civil union' loosely in
this instance, he recognizes the existing rights of Ohioans to enter
into private contracts to manage their personal property and health
care issues.”